Strokes Essay Plan

Question: Discuss about a Report on Strokes for Essay Plan? Answer: Introduction: In the world, approximately 40% males and 60% females die every year due to strokes. A stroke occurs when supply of blood to the brain is either reduced or interrupted. In this condition, the brain does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients this causes the death of brain cells (Hemphill et al, 2013). A stroke more commonly occurs in people who are overweight and are either 55 or older in age. Lack of exercise, heavy drinking and use of illicit drugs causes strokes too. It can also be due to genetics reasons in people who have a family history of strokes (Jauch et al, 2013). There are two major kinds of stroke: Ischemic stroke Hemorrhagic stroke: Strokes are caused due to hypertension, aneurysms, thinning of blood due to medications and trauma. However, the two kinds of strokes have different causes, which are discussed separately. : They constitute around 85% of the strokes. They take place when the narrow arteries connected to the brain become narrower or blocked causing reduction in blood flow. They can be caused by blood clots or by fatty deposits in the artery known as plaque (Party, 2012). : They are caused when the arteries of the brain either leak blood or burst open. The brain cells are then damaged by the leaked blood, causing strokes (Mozaffarian et al, 2014). Most of the times strokes occur very quickly, so often diagnosis of stroke has to be made before the patient can be seen by a doctor. An acronym FAST is an easy way to remember the symptoms of stroke and can help us to identify the occurrence of stroke on someone (Jauch et al, 2013): Place drooping: to identify if one side of the face droops when the person smiles. rm weakness: the persons arm drifts downwards when they try to raise it. peech difficulty: slurring of their speech. ime to call 911: the emergency services should be called in case the above symptoms occur. However, in order to comprehend the comprehend the severity or actual nature of the stroke; the following tests are done by the doctor. CT scan: X-rays that can detect haemorrhages, strokes etc. MRI scan: it creates the brains image and detects any damage in the brain using radio waves (Party, 2012). Carotid ultrasound: it consists of an ultrasound scan to monitor the blood pressure in the carotid arteries and to check the presence of plaque. Cerebral angiogram: in this, the blood vessels of the brain are made visible under X-rays, by injecting certain dyes into them, to present a detailed view of the neck and brain arteries (Hemphill et al, 2013). Echocardiogram: producing an image of the heart, to detect any sources of clots which could have caused stroke in the brain. Transoesophagy: in this an ultrasound probe is inserted behind the heart in the gullet to produce a clear picture of any clots in the heart. Swallow test: the patient is asked to swallow 2 teaspoons of water first, then half a glass. He is then sent to a therapist if he is not able to. Treatment: Since the cause of both the types of stroke is different, therefore the treatment procedures for both are also different. Ischemic: The different ways to treat ischemic stroke are: Administering anticoagulants like warfarin and antiplatelet agents like aspirin which prevents blood clotting and so prevents stroke. Administering antihypertensives that treat high blood pressure by opening the blood vessels (Garcia et al, 2013). Statins can be administered to lower the cholesterol level which in turn prevents hypertension (Mozaffarian et al, 2014). Carrying out Carotid Endarterectomy in which blockage of the blood vessel is removed from the carotid artery surgically. Angioplasty can also be carried out in which steel screens called stents are used to open up the blood vessels and to prevent the blood vessels from getting choked (Furie et.al, 2011). Another endovascular treatment called Thrombectomy, can be done in which doctors remove a blood clot by sending a stent retriever (wired cage like device) to the location of the clotted vessel. In case of hemorrhagic stroke, the BP, seizures as well as bleeding should be controlled using: Prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy is suggested in patients that suffer from lobar haemorrhages in order to decrease the risk of seizures. It can also be used in patients with aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Antihypertensive agents: that reduce BP and other threats to heart diseases. These lessen the growth of hematomas , mainly in patients who have received antithrombotic therapy (Garcia et al, 2013). Beta blockers like labetalol angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors like enalapril are used. Osmotic diuretics: to reduce the intracranial load in the subarachnoid space. They use mannitol and hypertonic saline Hemostatic therapy: this involves the use of RfVIIa to stop the hemorrhage or to prevent the expansion of hematoma (Hemphill et al, 2013). Reversing Warfarin coagulation can also be done by Giving vitamin K intravenously Giving fresh frozen plasma (FPP) Giving Prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) Giving rFVIIa From the study conducted above we learnt that stroke is a case of medical emergency which occurs when supply of blood to the brain ceases (Garcia et al, 2013). And the brain cells begin to die immediately. Two main types of strokes exist. The more common one that is the ischemic one occurs due to a blood clot that causes blocking of a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind or the hemorrhagic one is caused due to breaking or rupturing of a blood vessel and leaking of blood into the brain. Among its common symptoms are facial drooping, sudden confusion, trouble in walking, headache etc. In case a stroke is encountered, the patient should be immediately taken to the hospital and treatment should be given within 3 hours of the occurrence of stroke (Furie et.al, 2011). Treatment commonly consists of administering different medications, which reduce blood clotting and BP, while other treatments involve surgical removal of the fatty plaque. References: Furie, K. L., Kasner, S. E., Adams, R. J., Albers, G. W., Fagan, S. C., ... and Wentworth, D. (2011). Guidelines for the prevention of stroke in patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.Stroke,42(1), 227-276. Garca-Rodrguez, L. A., Gaist, D., Morton, J., Cookson, C., and Gonzlez-Prez, A. (2013). Antithrombotic drugs and risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the general population.Neurology,81(6), 566-574. Go, A. 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